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Get Sideways: Why Moving Forward Isn't Everything

Busting out of the straight-ahead motions of swimming, biking and running will help make you a more well-rounded (and chiseled) triathlete.

by Christopher Johnson

Although straight plane, or forward movement, plays an integral role in triathlon, unlocking your potential while resisting injury demands that we move our bodies in other directions. A common element of every program I develop, as a physical therapist and coach, is ensuring ­­that I challenge triathletes with exercises and drills that involve a mixture of movements in different planes.

Movement of the body is typically described as occurring along three main planes 1) the sagittal plane, 2) the transverse plane and 3) the frontal plane. The sagittal or straight plane divides the body into left and right halves. Movements in the sagittal plane are typically those that occur forward and backward, as well as up and down such as a bicep curl, knee extension, or hamstring curl. These movements generally involve flexion and extension. The transverse plane divides the body into a top and bottom. A couple examples of movements that occur in the transverse plane include head rotation or body roll as you swim. The frontal plane divides the body into a front and back half. Frontal plane movements are typically sideways in nature and are referred to as abduction and adduction. The best example of a movement that occurs in the frontal plane would be raising your arm directly out to the side.

The bottom line is that although the sport of triathlon may be biased towards movement in the straight plane, it combines a mixture of movements in all three planes. This means that training the body according to the performance demands of the sport is essential. Below you will find a couple exercises that I perform myself and routinely prescribe to triathletes. Try adding one or both to your training program—I'm confident you'll find them valuable.

Goal: to challenge balance while improving trunk control and hip strength. The athlete will balance on one leg and keep their hips and shoulders square while drawing the non-balancing leg out to the side with the foot straight.

Equipment: platform and lightweight resistance band.

Success: performing one set of 10 on each leg without losing your balance.

Mastery: performing three sets of 15 with a lightweight resistance band secured around your feet.

Goal: to challenge rotational control as well as hip and trunk strength. The athlete will perform a side plank while keeping their hips and shoulders stacked and head neutral while slowly raising and lowering the top leg.

Equipment: Redcord suspension system or TRX.

Success: holding a side plank with the body parallel to the floor for 10 seconds.

Mastery: holding a side plank for 20 seconds while drawing the top leg towards the ceiling five times.

Chris Johnson is a Seattle based physical therapist and triathlete. He currently manages patients out of Olympic Physical Therapy and renders performance coaching and clinical education through head2toesystems.com.